Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us today.
My question is for Ms. Pate.
Your presentation is quite consistent with the study done by the Canadian Women's Health Network. The study shows that criminalized women are one of the most marginalized groups of society. They often come from a challenging socio-economic environment, they have unstable jobs and they are often dealing with addiction and mental health issues. As you said, a number of studies have shown that many prisoners—both men and women—with mental illness were sent to prison for minor crimes, such as shoplifting or non-violent offences.
Could you tell us about the impact of Bill C-316 on this group of people? Could you also tell us how they will be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society if they don't have a right to an extension of the qualifying or benefit period?